Gloaming
by Lav Black
Summary: Fifteen years after Breaking Dawn, The Cullen clan finds themselves facing the same battle. Two unlikely characters find comfort and solace in each other.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I unfortunately do not own Twilight, or anything Twilight related.. This is all Stephanie Meyer's stuff; I just make up fun stories in my head about it.

I've always shipped for odd pairings in the Twilight universe, and I could never really find one that satiated my appetite, so I decided to write one myself. I hope that you enjoy.

~~~Chapter One: Forsaken~~~~

Bella's POV:

I wasn't sure how to tell Edward. Nessie didn't really confide in me that she and Jake were starting to have sex, I kind of just found out when she hugged me the other day. I didn't know what to do. My fuzzy human memory flashed back to the moment that Edward first found out that he could read her mind while she was still in my womb. How happy we were then, how that happiness had triumphed over the last 15 years, even when our clan was up against the world. But this, this felt worse than the Volturi wanting us dead, or Victoria's army.

I needed Edward, I needed my husband. This was a partnership and raising our hybrid daughter was something that I easily could not have done on my own. I kept telling myself that she was old enough to start living her own life, and how I felt when Edward and I first made love on Isle Esme. Jake was her soul mate I tried to reason with myself. I remembered when I loved Jake like that. But it was blurry and fuzzy. Suddenly I heard Edward getting out of his car, I smelled another vampire.

"Bella" Edward called standing just below the balcony to his room. I strode out to the balcony and saw Edward standing with Siobhan.

"How are you Bella?" She greeted me.

"I am well thank you." I said distracted.

"It seems as though something is weighing heavily on your mind. I wish that whatever it is turns out well for you." Siobhan smiled.

"Thank you Siobhan. I will tell you how things end up."

Siobhan turned to Edward "Where ever is my wee one?"

Edward laughed. "Well, she isn't wee anymore, but she is at Jacob's house. Do you want me to go bring her here for you?"

"Oh no, I have no problem at all going to get her." And with that Siobhan sprinted into the forest.

Edward scaled up to the balcony and traced the outline of my jaw with his thumb.

"What's wrong Bella?"

"Edward, Nessie is having sex with Jacob." I stammered.

Edward started laughing again. I smacked him in his chest.

"You know, I'm not quite sure what is funny. This is serious. Shouldn't we talk to her about, you know, the birds and the bees?"

"The birds and the bees? Bella, I doubt that Nessie can even get pregnant and I am sure that she is being safe. Our daughter is smart."

"But- but she's our little girl." I stammered.

"Yes, but Bella she isn't a little girl anymore. You're acting like Charlie acted when we told him we were getting married."

I was astonished. Then I was angry. How dare he compare me to Charlie?

"Edward, she is growing up too fast, I don't know how to handle this, and I don't know what to do. I came to you because this is a marriage; a partnership and I wanted to know if you would help me figure out how to talk to her. To make sure that she is being safe."

"Bella, Darling, our daughter is not dumb. I am sure that she knows what she is doing and I am sure they are being safe, you are just over reacting."

Suddenly, Alice shrieked from downstairs "Edward, come here quick"

He didn't think twice, he was down the stairs before I could turn around and respond to what he had said.

"Overreacting?" I shrilled so loud that Jake and Nessie could probably hear me. I ran downstairs to confront Edward; he wasn't getting away with what he had said this easily. When I got to the living room everyone was sitting except for Emmett.

"What's wrong?" I couldn't tell if it was Jasper, or if my mood had suddenly changed.

"The Volturi are coming" Alice muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still have not become Stephanie Meyer or had her brain transplanted into my head, therefore, Twilight belongs to her and her brain and not me.

~~~~~~~Chapter 2: Battle~~~~~~~~

When the Volturi arrived we met them in an opening in the forest near Mount Rainier. The same opening that we fought the newborn army in, and where we almost fought the Volturi almost a decade ago. I stood next to Edward, holding his hand. Nessie was on my left, holding Jake's hand. Siobhan stood behind all of us, towering over even Emmett. She didn't want to appear intimidating to the Volturi, because after all, we still did not know why they were here in the first place. Aro, Caius, and Marcus stood in a row. Jane and Alec were on Caius' right and Felix and Demitri stood at Marcus' left.

I never really liked Marcus. He seemed so old, so frail, like he was turned when he was in his sixties. Nothing to hate, but he creeped me out sometimes when I saw him, even as a vampire.

Aro clasped his hands together.

"Siobhan, so lovely to see your red eyes peaking out above a sea of gold."

Siobhan only nodded at Aro.

"You must be wondering why we are here today." He paused. Every eye in the clearing was on him.

"It has come to our attention that your Renesmee has informed a human of our existence. A human that none of you Cullens have decided to turn, and that you seem to have no plan amongst you to turn."

"What?" we all said, practically in unison, staring at Nessie who just shrugged. Siobhan slunk behind everyone so she was hovering over my daughter. She was very protective of her, Nessie even considered her to be an aunt.

"Wee one, for your safety, I wish that this situation turns out differently than the Volturi had planned." Siobhan whispered in her ear.

"Thank you Auntie Von." Nessie said to her, using a term of endearment that she used many years ago when she was just learning how to speak.

Suddenly, Aro laughed.

"Sadly, dear Siobhan, we have already made up our minds. I am afraid that using your powers will not prevent us from fulfilling our purpose here today."

He started walking towards Nessie, before he could get inches away from her Rosalie jumped in front of her guarding her.

"She's just a little baby. You can't hurt her," she snarled at Aro.

"Aunt Rose, I am not a baby."

"I am sorry, Rosalie, what we have come here for today will be given to us, regardless of your niece's tender age."

" Then you will have to go through me first" she growled through her teeth.

"Very well" Aro said and nodded his head, beckoning the other members of the guard towards him. Jane stared at Rosalie.

"Pain" she said in a barely audible whisper. Rosalie fell to the ground and began writhing in pain.

"Rose" Emmet lunged towards Rosalie, but Carlisle and Jasper held him back.  
"There is nothing you can do now son, just let her do what she is told. Rosalie will survive" Carlisle said, attempting to console Emmett. Emmett relaxed.

Just as Aro placed his hands around Nessie's head, Edward stepped forward away from the clan.

"Don't kill her, take me instead."


	3. Chapter 3

~~~~~Chapter 3: Reckoning~~~~~

Edward's POV:

"What? Edward! No!" I heard Bella scream behind me.

I turned around to face her.

"Bella, don't worry. They wouldn't really—"

Suddenly Felix and Alec had me by each arm, and Aro's hands were wrapped around my head. That sick grin was plastered on his face. The grin we all saw in our undead nightmares, Aro was about to kill.

"Edward NO" Bella screamed once more and practically flew up behind me.

"Aro, please. You are being ridiculous, I am sure that we can find some other way to work this out."

Aro took his hands off of my head as Bella continued to bargain with Aro. I sighed a heavy sigh of relief. I thought for a moment there that Aro actually would kill me. He looked at Bella with a questioning glance.

"Whoever it was, whoever she told, I will turn them." Bella stated confidently.

"Bella, NO" I told her, my arms still being pulled by Alec and Felix.

She looked down at me.

"Edward, please. I can't lose you again, I won't lose you again. I will do whatever it takes."

Aro strode back towards me, and put his hands around my head once more.

"No, we were planning on killing the human she told anyways."

My mind began to race. I was going to die, and not the death that I had been living for nearly the last 100 years, but a true death.

"Aro, there must be something that we can do to reason with you. This does not always have to end in bloodshed." Carlisle spoke up, trying to meet Aro half way.

"Yes, Aro, something" Esme chided in.

"Anything" Alice agreed.

Jasper simply nodded his head in agreement.

Emmett was already standing at attention, signifying that he was ready to fight for me.

" I am sorry my young friends. Your Renesmee has broken the law that which every single vampire has held true for centuries."

"But I am not a vampire" Nessie spoke up.

"Regardless," Aro smiled "Someone has to pay for your mistake, and Edward is your father. He is a suitable replacement."

He began twisting my neck, slowly. I heard Bella scream. Everything started fading out to black.

"Bella, I love you" I choked out.

"I love you too Edward. I am so sorry" I heard her whimper in the background " I am so sorry I couldn't do anything to stop this."

Suddenly, my whole existence flashed before my eyes. Growing up with my family. Going to school. Carlisle turning me. Slaughtering all of those humans. Meeting Rosalie for the first time. Alice and Jasper joining our clan. Carlisle turning Emmett. Jasper and Alice's wedding. Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. Moving to Forks. The first day I met Bella. Saving Bella from that dark alley. My first date with Bella. Bella finding out what I really was. Introducing Bella to my family. Saving Bella from James. Our senior prom. My trip to Phoenix with Bella. Meeting Renee for the first time. Our graduation. The graduation party. Proposing to Bella. Killing Riley and Victoria. Watching Bella walk down the aisle. Marrying Bella. Our honeymoon on Isle Esme. Hearing Renesmee thinking about Bella and I for the first time. Seeing Renesmee for the first time. Turning Bella. Seeing Bella as a vampire for the first time. My first hunt with Bella. Our many years in our cottage. Seeing my daughter grow up to be the amazing young woman she is today.

Suddenly the pictures in my head turned fuzzy and began to fade. It was peaceful, easy, painless, and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I am still waiting to become Stephanie Meyer, so in the mean time, I don't own Twilight or anything related to it.

~~~~~~Chapter 4: Death~~~~~~~

Bella's POV:

He was gone.

Aro just beheaded Edward and burned his body into ashes in front of everyone.

That's when everything got crazy. Aro and Caius lunged for Nessie, but Rosalie jumped in front of them once again. Instead of stopping her with her powers, Jane simply grabbed both of Rosalie's arms, pinned them behind her back and Alec twisted her head of.

If vampires could really breathe, I think Emmett would have been hyperventilating.

Siobhan held Emmett back. A pretty amazing feat for a female.

"ROSE" Emmett boomed. He turned to Aro " You are going to regret coming here unless you leave now. I will NOT hold back."

Aro simply smiled at Emmett. He knew it was true, after his words sank in, if Emmett attacked Aro, the rest of the guard would be on him in an instant. In the corner, Jane was beginning to burn Rosalie's body.

"Aro, I suggest that you leave now. You have already killed two of my children. I think it would be best if you left." Carlisle tried to persuade him.

"Carlisle, my old friend," Aro smiled at him "when will you ever learn that these immortals are not your children? They are your progenies. They bear no semblance to each other, and they are not related to you biologically."

They strode towards Nessie once more. Jacob shoved his way in front of her.

"I won't let you hurt her. If you kill her, you kill me."

"Jake, please" I begged, I didn't want to see another person that I loved die.

Instantly, Jacob phased. It was an awkward phase, he was trying not to hurt a member of the Volturi so as to make things worse, but they backed away when they saw him start to shift.

Marcus began to speak feebly in the background.

"Aro, we got what we wanted here, let's go now. I am getting bored."

"Very well," He turned to face us "goodbye my friends."

Sorry that was a short one. Not much filler, just didn't want to bulk up the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

~~~~Chapter 5: Grief~~~~

I'm doing this one a little differently because I'm a psych nerd and wanted to incorporate that into my story. The next few chapters will be deeply personal for me and rooted in a few experiences I have gone through myself. If you like the story please review, I am going to slow down with the chapters because I'm not really getting much feedback.

-Denial-

Emmett's POV:

I went hunting with Esme and Carlisle today. Got a few mountain lions in honor of my little brother.

When I got home I sat in Carlisle's study and stared at Rosalie's ashes. I read a few books. It was like she never really left. I got inspired and walked down to the garage and started working on her car. I replaced the oil, did some tune up work. I drove to a local car wash and made sure that they cleaned it up nicely. I bought the most expensive wash that money could buy. Always the best for my Rose.

I know that it would make her feel happy if she knew that her car was being taken care of. Maybe she was looking down on me, smiling, resting more peacefully knowing that I was taking care of things for her.

That night I went hunting again, not out of necessity but for sport. I was hunting grizzlies. An homage to my Rose, she saved me from a painful death. I always thought of her as a beautiful blonde angel that saved my life, even though Carlisle was the one that turned me. He appeared in the doorway of his office.

"I will leave if you need to use your office" I offered.

"No, please, I know that this is where you are most comfortable because she is here. If you ever need to talk son, I am and here so is Esme and Jasper and Alice. We are all grieving" he consoled.

"Thanks Carlisle, but I'm fine. I feel fine."

Bella's POV:

I sat in our room in the Cullen house looking outside the balcony door.

My memory played a fuzzy video of my frail human self clinging onto Edwards back for dear life while he jumped out of his house and from tree to tree, hopping around the forest like a grasshopper with his human pet in tow. I heard Alice walk up the stairs and knock on his door gently.

"Bella, if you ever need anything we are all here for you. We are all grieving the loss of our brother and sister. " she tried to console me, but I didn't acknowledge her.

She slowly closed the door. I wasn't trying to be rude, I just needed to be alone in his room with my thoughts and myself. This isn't happening. Not to me. This is just some wild dream and when I wake up, I will be human, at Charlie's house and Edward will be there watching me sleep.

-Anger—

Emmett's POV:

Months went by. I think that grizzlies were going to start becoming extinct in the Pacific Northwest. They were all that I would eat. Their blood tasted very gamey to me. It wasn't pleasant. I once had lamb as a child on Easter with my human family. I hated it and spit it out right away. My mother scolded me for being so rude to our guests. That's what feeding from a bear tasted like. But I hunted, furiously. Daily. I didn't need to but I just did. I turned my brain off and let my vampire instincts take over.

I was merciless. I didn't harm the bears. I would always kill them quickly, made sure they felt no pain, showing them the mercy that my Rose showed me when she saved me and brought me to Carlisle to be turned. But I killed, in large numbers. By the end of the week I was averaging about five bears a day. I know I knocked at least a few trees down when I was hunting too, whatever was in my way. I was angry, no I wasn't angry I was livid and I had no one else to take it out on, no other release so I did what came naturally, instinctually to vampires, I killed.

Bella's POV:

Four months had passed, and I still hadn't moved from the same spot in Edward's bedroom. I didn't want to go to our cottage, the memories would hurt me too much. I stood up and turned to face his bookshelf. I heard Esme downstairs take a deep breath in. I traced my fingers along the delicate wooden lines of the shelves. So fragile, so easily broken. Kind of reminded me of myself as a human. I traced the outline of the spine of a book and suddenly I pushed every book on the shelf off into the floor. They knocked each other over like dominoes. It felt so good to let my anger out.

Esme came running up the stairs.

"Bella, are you alright?" She said as she assessed the situation.

My body started heaving, if I could cry I would have been crying, but as a vampire, I couldn't cry. Esme walked over to me and pulled me into an embrace. She was so much like a mother to me. If she could have cried, she would have been crying too. If a human walked passed us they would have thought that she was simply fighting back tears.

"WHY ME?" I sobbed, shudders wracking my body. Esme just held me.

"WHY DID THEY HAVE TO TAKE AWAY MY SOUL MATE? IT'S NOT FAIR!" I screamed.

"Bella, it's not just you. You are not alone in your grief. I have lost a son and a daughter, Carlisle has lost two of his children, and Alice and Jasper lost two of their siblings. We are all in pain, we are all wondering why this happened to us, you are not alone!" Esme tried to console me, but it wasn't helping very much.

"How can this happen to me?" I whimpered lower, still shaking.

-Bargaining-

Suddenly, I had an idea. I looked up at Esme.

"I know, I will give myself so they can bring Edward back!"

She looked at me puzzled.

"I will offer myself to them, like he offered himself for Nessie. They are only out for blood it will satiate them."

"Bella, you don't understand." Esme started explaining "There is no way of bringing Edward back. He has met his true death. He is-" She couldn't finish her sentence, she started sobbing at the realization of the words that she had just spoken.

Emmett's POV:

I stood in Carlisle's office. How long had I been here? Weeks, months? I didn't care. Everyday I heard everyone else go out to work, or go hunt as if nothing happened. How could they have just moved on so quickly? I knew I wasn't going to be that way. I would hold onto Rose, to keep her alive. I looked at the urn that held her ashes. It sparkled in the light. A silver urn with delicately traced roses and scrolls. Elegant. Beautiful. Just like Rose.

" I will give anything Rose. I would have given the Volturi anything. All of the money, all of the cars, the houses, the clothes, anything that they wanted to stop them from killing you. To have one more day. To be able to hold you in my arms. To see your beautiful smile looking up at me. To be able to run my fingers through your beautiful golden hair one more time."

-Depression-

I turned around and looked at the clock on the wall, it was already 22:00. I decided to go hunting again. I ran out of the house and jumped off of the front stairs. I sprinted into the woods, jumping over branches, logs, whatever was in my way. I wasn't hunting with as much anger as I did previously but I knew that if I hunted I would be able to shut my mind off and forget about what happened. I ran to Mount Rainier and started hiking up the mountain. Well, it was more like sprinting up the mountain. I caught the scent of a grizzlie about half way up. I jumped onto a tree and sprang from tree to tree until I could see it right beneath me. My plan was to jump down and get it from behind. Just as I was about to jump, I stopped.

This doesn't make any sense. Why am I feeding so much? Maybe if I don't feed I could starve myself and I will be able to see Rose again.

No, Carlisle had tried that, doesn't work.

Once the bear was gone I jumped off the tree and hiked up the mountain a little more until I was nearly at the peak. Didn't want to attract any humans by going all the way to the top. I sat down on the snow. My pants were getting soaked, but I didn't care. Two hours passed, I know that Esme and Carlisle would be worried about me, but I didn't deserve their love. I didn't stop the Volturi from taking Rose or Edward. I wasn't worthy of it. Besides, I knew they were grieving too and I didn't want to be a pain for them. I laid down in the snow that was almost cold to my skin. My hair began to soak through, but I didn't care. I didn't need anything, I didn't deserve anything. I just laid there and stared blankly into space.

Bella's POV:

"Bella, you need to hunt" Esme pointed out.

I turned around and looked into the mirror. My eyes were almost black. She was right. I opened the sliding door and jumped off of the balcony. I didn't really care if I fell and hurt myself, it was going to heal anyways. Unlike what happened to Edward and Rosalie. Suddenly I started running. I didn't know where I was going, or what I was looking for, I just ran. I leapt over boulders and logs and even some small trees. I saw Mount Rainier closing in on me in the distance. I decided to go to the mountain. Maybe I would find comfort there, not that I deserved it. Everyone else was home except Emmett who was still out hunting.

Carlisle was getting worried.

He said he'd give him another hour and then Alice and jasper were going to go look for him. I started walking up Mount Rainier, I wasn't really hiking, and I wasn't walking quickly I was just walking. A little bit past half way up I saw a pale hand sticking out of the snow.

"Emmett?" I ran towards it and started digging him out.

"Are you alright?"

He started laughing. I was pissed.

"it sure snows up here a lot!" he said humorously

"Well, I'm glad to know you're over everything that's happened already too."

"Bella, it's quiet up here. It's peaceful. You should stay up here a little bit. It's comfortable."

"but I don't deserve comfort or love, or peace, I deserve-"

"There you are" Alice chided to us. "Carlisle sent us to look for you. Jazz, they're over here."

Suddenly Jasper was at her side.


	6. Chapter 6

~~~~~Chapter 6: Fresh Start ~~~~~~

Sorry guys that was a long chapter of fluff! Anyways I hope you are enjoying! Thanks for adding the story to your favorites/track list. I love it when you guys show me you like my stuff, it helps me write Anyways, getting close to the ending here. I have a few ideas on some new stories that are Twilight related so please stick around if you like my work.

I'm still not Stephanie Meyer, so all the characters and stuff belong to her still.

Jasper just stared at us.

"Carlisle was worried sick about you Emmett. How dare you worry him like that? Bella, the family is having a meeting and we need everyone's input. Come on its time to go home." Alice was scolding us.

The run home felt slow, even at our speed. I didn't wan to go back to the house, I wanted to stay in the mountain with Emmett forever. Maybe if we were there long enough it would erase all of the images that were in my head. Damn vampire memory. I remembered it like it happened yesterday and it was almost six months ago.

When we got back to the house Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the couch, Nessie and Jake were standing next to them. I ran to Nessie and hugged her.

"ooof, mom, you have to remember that you're still stronger than me."

I was so glad to have a piece of Edward here with me still, and I was willing to protect her even of it cost me my own life, not that I hadn't showed that before but she was the only thing I had left of Edward.

Emmett looked on jealously, I'm sure he was wishing he had someone that he could hold onto like I had Nessie.

Carlisle cleared his throat and I begrudgingly let Nessie go.

"After everything that has happened the last few months and the fact that we haven't aged at all in the last 15 years Esme and I have decided that we need to move again."

My heart sunk.

"NO." I objected, I looked at Emmett who was just staring at Carlisle.

"Forks is the only place that I've been with Edward in other than Isle Esme and I'm not leaving all of the memories."

"You won't have to Isabella, you will always have the memories. Trust me, it's hard for me too but people are starting to get suspicious. I don't look like I'm in my 50s."

I nodded. He was right and I still look like I'm 18 and I'm already 33.

"Well what about Alaska?" Alice suggested "It would be nice to live close to Tanya, Kate, Eleazar, Carmen and Garrett."

"But don't you think that after what happened with Nessie and Irina that Tanya and Kate wouldn't like seeing Nessie there all the time to remind them of their loss?"

"She has a point" Carlisle looked at Esme.

"Um mom," Nessie cleared her throat "I kind of wanted to stay in Forks with Jake. I was thinking about moving in with him and Billy if you guys left Washington."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" I had already lost Edward, I wasn't about to leave the only other piece of him that was left in my life.

"Jake, do you really think that you are ready to move in with Renesmee?"

"Bells, really? You are acting like you are my mother. And yes, I am ready to move in with Nessie, but wherever she wants to go I will go."

"Really, so you would leave Billy to fend for himself?"

Jake winced as though I had physically hurt him.  
"I'm sorry, that was rude of me but you are his primary caretaker."

"Sue was actually going to take care of him. If Nessie and I were to move out. We were going to move somewhere on the res or something."

I wasn't in the mood to multi-task, these were both very big decisions that needed my undivided attention so I wanted to handle them both separately.

"We will talk about this later"

Jake scoffed under his breath.

"What about the Midwest? Or New York? I hear it's pretty gloomy around there most of the time. It may be a good place to go." Jasper added.

"Yes but it is very difficult to hide ourselves in the summer sun. Edward and I learned that the hard way when we were in Chicago and the Volturi had to step in." Carlisle knocked his idea down.

"What about Los Angeles?" I asked. I had never been and it seemed like a good place to go, filled with beautiful people, easy to blend into the crowd. I noticed Esme perk up when I said Los Angeles. It is every midwestern girl's dream to go to Hollywood and become a star.

"Yeah, and there are lots of forests out there that we can hunt in. And it's really close to Oregon." Emmett was trying to help me.

"Actually Emmett, Los Angeles is at the very bottom of California, you would have to run across California to get to Oregon." I corrected him. He looked a little disappointed.

"Still sounds promising" Carlisle spoke up to cheer him up.

"How about we go, Bella and I, to see if there are any other vampires over there that wouldn't like us in their territory or anything that could prevent us from moving down there."

I looked at him like he was crazy. I knew that I hadn't really traveled much in my life, but go to Los Angeles without the family? Leave Forks when I needed to be here the most?

"That's a great idea Emmett, a little change of scenery may cheer up the both of you." Alice smiled.

"Perfect" Esme smiled and grabbed her laptop "I will book you guys the tickets, 7:30 am tomorrow or something around then will work out great."

Emmett looked at me and grinned.

My stomach dropped.

What the hell was I just talked into?


	7. Chapter 7

~~~~Chapter 7: Arrival~~~~

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any characters in it.

Due to the new Fanfic rules against adult content and their massive removal of stories that are explicit, this will be my second to last chapter :( I hope that you have enjoyed the story. I am not going to end the story, I will hold off in hopes that the website admins change their minds and decide to let us post explicit content again. This part again is based loosely off of an experience I had. It will also get a little violent. not too much but just a warning. I originally wanted it to be longer but due to the new rules I had to cut out the last part. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and subscribing you guys are the best.

When I arrived at LAX I stood at the bag corral waiting for our luggage. We were only in LA for the weekend so we shared a large duffle bag that Emmett had. Vampires travel pretty light. He went to go get the rental and texted me when he arrived at the gate. Of course, our luggage was last.

I grabbed the bag and threw it over my shoulder trying to fit in with the hundreds of humans around me doing the same. Luckily it was an off day and the airport wasn't crowded. It was filthy. I had heard LA was dirty but Sea Tac looked like it was run by people with OCD in comparison to LAX. I walked outside and a white Escalade honked at me. Leave it to Emmett to pick the flashiest car to rent.

He popped the trunk and grabbed my bag by his index finger and threw it in the back of the SUV.

I already felt a little better.

"I hear there is already a group of wild, uncivilized vampires that live in the area and feed off of humans." he began as we drove to the hotel.

"is the hotel far?" I asked.

"No." he answered sternly "we will be meeting them tonight, or at least the leader of the coven and his mate."

By the time he had finished talking we arrived at the hotel. He left his keys with the 24-hour valet and we arrived at the Westin LAX.

He checked us in, our room was on the 12th floor. The elevator ride was silent on the way up. I stared at myself in the mirrored walls.

I was pale, taller than when I was human. My dark brown hair shone in the light it almost sparkled as much as my skin, my lips were blood red, my cheeks white as snow. I held off on feeding a bit before leaving to LA just so I didn't have to wear contacts. My eyes were like a light butterscotch but not as orange. We got off of the elevator and arrived at our room 1212 it was right passed the elevator. Usually humans wouldn't want a room at this location, so close to the elevate but we didn't care we don't sleep.

When I opened the door the room was nicer than I thought. There was a king size bed with two side tables on each side of the bed with a modern looking lamp on top. There was a flat screen TV, desk and mini bar at the foot of the bed and a thick red chair sat in front of the window.

I opened the drapes and saw the Los Angeles skyline in the distance.

"we aren't quiet there but not too far." Emmett was very familiar with the area.

We sat on the bed and watched countless war movies. Emmett emailed Carlisle a few times to let him know we got in ok and we were both still well.

In the middle of our third movie, Emmett turned around and looked at me. "You should get ready" he instructed

"for what?"

"We are going out soon."

"And why can't I go out in this?" I asked.

He looked at me up and down. I was wearing dark blue trouser style jeans, a dark blue tank top and a black cardigan that covered the upper half of my arm.

"Because your arms are showing. And it gets cold out here at night. If you want to blend in with the humans you need to dress like them and most humans would wear something long sleeve at night."

I sighed and started tearing apart our suitcase.

"Easy Bells, don't trip." He laughed as he played a game on his laptop.

"I'm not human anymore Emmett, I really don't do that anymore" I scoffed.

I took off my cardigan and threw it in my bag. I could feel his eyes watching me from behind my back as I dug around in the bag more for a long sleeve shirt. Finally I found a black long sleeve cardigans.

"You know, I would have thought that you would have had a better sense of style when you got turned. You still are wearing those cardigans, or is it a frock?" He laughed.

"You sound like Alice! You're a guy, why do you care?" I was getting annoyed with him.

"I'm kidding, you actually look good. That is the nicest that I have seen you look in a long time."

He was right, the pants accentuated my legs and my butt, the tank was flattering, not too tight but not too loose and with the cardigan it showed the perfect amount of skin. I went into the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like I hadn't slept in 16 years.

I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and played with it a little to give it some volume. I splashed some cold water on my face, well at least that's what the sink said. It felt luke warm to me. I stepped out of the bathroom and Emmett was already wearing his coat and had his boots on. I slipped into my flip-flops as he checked to make sure he had everything we needed.

"Where are we going?"

"You will see."

And with that, we were off.


	8. Chapter 8

~~~~~Chapter 7: Revelation ~~~~~~

So, I know it has been a while since I have updated BUT I have been working on re-VAMPING the last two chapters to exclude all the fun stuff, or at least tone it down. So here is the beginning of the end. I do hope you enjoy, and please review if you would.

"A strip club?" I asked as we pulled up to Barely Elegant. There was a billboard for it right across the street from our hotel.

"Not quite, just follow my lead" Emmett said, as he opened the car door for me.

He gave the valet his keys and just as he was about to ask for money, two other vampires appeared. They were male and female, looked like they were turned in their early 20s. The male was tall, about two inches taller than me and had honey brown hair that flailed in every direction around his head.

Almost like Edward.

The woman was shorter than he was, she had long black hair and piercing red eyes. She was much chubbier than the male who was about average weight. They held hands as they walked up to us.

"It's ok Francis, these are my VIP guests" the male nodded to the valet.

"Bella, this is Jaymes and his mate Jessie." Emmett introduced us.

I shook Jessie's hand first. It was soft, but hesitant. She seemed to be almost angry or jealous of me.

"Bella" Jaymes whispered to me.

"How did you know my name?" I asked.

"I didn't, bella is Italian for beautiful." He smiled.

"Oh" I said as I awkwardly took his hand.

Just as I was shaking his hand I was hit with hundreds of scenes in my head. At first I was human and I met Jaymes in some huge building, I was on a laptop, it almost seemed like a school, a college maybe? Then he and I went out to eat, twice. The first time it was at an Asian restaurant, the other time we went to a burger place. Then I saw he and I at a small, cluttered apartment eating pizza and drinking beer. The next few scenes hit me so rapidly I stopped breathing for a few minutes. He and I were in this crowded apartment making love, taking showers together, I cooked for him, he was helping me solve a math problem, he crawled into bed and held me and we fell asleep next to each other, we made love everywhere in his apartment; on the couch, in his bed, in the shower and finally I was driving in a black Honda Element and watching him drive realizing that I was in love with him.

Once the visions left I shook my head and stared at Emmett. He only smiled at me.

"Come in, and welcome to our den" Jessie said. She was very soft spoken, but she led us into the strip club.

Emmett looked at me "He's a pretty creepy guy."

The strip club was very dimly lit and there were three stages. In the middle of the room there were stairs that led to an upper level, the VIP area the sign pointed out for me.

"Pick anyone you like, and have a good time" Jaymes said before he joined hands with Jessie and walked away.

"What the hell was that?" I asked Emmett

"He's a creep. His power is memory manipulation. He gives you these memories to make you feel comfortable around him. The first time I met him he showed he and I out hunting in Forks."

"How did you find this out?" I wondered.

"He did the same thing to me, shook my hand when I first met him and the day that I left L.A. he did it again, erasing all the memories."

I nodded, and scanned the room, my vampire vision adjusting to the dimly lit club. There was a pole in the middle of the club, a main stage, a VIP area in the upper level of the club and booths behind us. I shuddered to think about what went on there.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, here she is…Candy" the announcer cooed from behind the bar.

Coming onto the main stage was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and smelled. She was about 5'11" and she had long black hair. She wasn't thin, but she wasn't fat, she was about average weight.

Her scent was very hard to describe.

It was like cinnamon buns and brownies and all of my favorite foods when I was human combined into one tantalizing scent. Her blood literally sang to me. I looked at Emmett.

"Whoa, Bells, your eyes just darkened. Smell someone you like?"

I nodded and glared at Candy. We sat down and the waitress asked us if we wanted anything, Emmett nodded a polite no thank you. I was entranced with Candy, the thrumming of her pulse singing to me as she danced faster and faster.

When she was finished dancing, she walked around the rooms to see if anyone wanted a private show in the VIP area. Emmett beckoned her over.

"Can my wife and I join you upstairs in the VIP area?"

I twisted the fake silver ring that he had bought for me on my finger. It felt so cold against my skin, because it wasn't the ring that I had been wearing for the last fifteen years.

" Sorry, the booths only have room for two."

He handed her three hundred dollars, and walked up behind me.

"Have a good time, I will be waiting at the hotel," he whispered in my ear.

I was shaky as I followed her up to the VIP booth. I sat in the red leather seat and she closed the curtain.

"Do you really want a dance, or do you want to feed from me?"

I wasn't sure how she knew that I was vampire, or that I really cared; I grabbed her waist and pulled her onto my lap so she was straddling me. She brushed her hair away from the right side of her neck. I felt her pulse thrumming behind her neck; it was like a drum, singing to me from all the way inside her. I licked my lips.

The last fifteen years, I had been good. I restrained myself to strengthen my bond with Edward and the Cullens in general.

But now he was gone, and the Cullens were almost two states away. No one was looking for me, no one was worried. It was my time to do something that I hadn't done in fifteen years, to lift myself free from my restraints. I slowly traced my lips up and down her neck, giving her goose bumps and without restrain or hesitation I sank my teeth into her delicate neck.


	9. Chapter 9

~~~~~Chapter 8: Reconciliation~~~~~

I've decided to extend the story a little bit, so after this I will have another chapter. Thank you all for reading.

Emmett's POV:

I was laying in bed watching How I Met Your Mother when I heard another vampire coming down the hall. I strode to the door and smelled the air. It smelled like Bella, and another very strong, very sweet blood. I turned the TV back on and relaxed on the bed. Nothing to be worried about. I heard Bella insert the key into the room and slowly open the door. The scent was stronger as she got closer to me, and it felt almost like there was a human coming in with her, but I only heard one set of footsteps. I glared at the TV, laughing heartily, pretending to be interested, as Bella got closer.

She stood at the foot of the bed; her short white tank dress was covered in blood, as was most of the rest of her body. She was shaking uncontrollably, something that I had never seen another vampire do. I scanned her body up and down, the blood seemed to pool in the middle of her dress, not splattered everywhere along her body as if she killed the human.

I never really looked at Bella. Actually looked at her. I always thought of her as off limits, even to look at, because she was married to my little brother. She really was very beautiful. She had long slender legs, and a small waist. Her arms were shapely, but not too bulky and she had a pronounced collarbone. I had dreamed about her neck sometimes when she was still human. They were, of course, all daydreams since I can't sleep, but her neck was so long and slender. I let my eyes slowly wander up her neck and past her jaw line, to her cheeks, and her cute little nose.

I prepared myself before I looked her in her eyes. I knew that she didn't have the same big brown eyes that she did as a human, but she had the same golden eyes that we all did. When our eyes met, I gasped. Her eyes were darkening as I looked into them, but they weren't a dark gold, they were a dark red. The outsides of her irises were a deep crimson, almost a black and as they got closer to her pupil they became a lighter shade of blood red.

I tried to take it all in. I had always hated those with red eyes, but just as she was when Edward first turned her, Bella was stunning with red eyes.

"What did you do?" I stammered, finding it hard to face the fact that Bella, this beautiful creature standing in front of me, had taken a human life.

"I didn't kill her, I swear. She's just in the hospital. They're giving her a blood transfusion"

"Bella, it's—" I tried to console her, but she cut me off.

"How bad are my eyes, they are probably bright red by now. Carlisle is going to be so mad. Will the family disown me? I can't believe I did this, how stupid of me? How reckless? I couldn't help it, it was like her blood was singing to me, thrumming like a drum behind the vein in her neck. I just had to drink her."

I got up and slowly walked to the foot of the bed, putting my hands on her shoulders. She was shorter than me, but she was so petite. I felt this insistent urge to protect her, to hold her and tell her everything would be ok. Rose never needed that side of me, she was too strong, and she could help herself she would tell me, even if we were having a crisis.

"Bella, it's ok. I killed my singer. Carlisle will forgive you. I know you aren't a newborn, but she's alive isn't she?"

"I guess" she mumbled, like a child that was being told it was ok to do something that was bad.

I pulled her close to me. I felt the sticky blood leak onto my shirt. She was sobbing and I felt her chest heave as it pressed against mine.

" Let's get you washed up," I whispered to her.

I led her into the bathroom and turned the shower on to as hot as it could be. She would need hot water to fully get the blood smell out of her skin. She turned around, facing the shower and I unzipped her dress. I slipped each strap off of her shoulder, and let the dress cascade down over her onto the floor. She kicked it off into a heap next to the toilet. She turned around and stood there awkwardly for a minute.

She was wearing beautiful French lingerie that accentuated her body perfectly. She really had an amazing figure, now that the dress wasn't there to cover it up. Her stomach was toned perfectly and her waist was in perfect proportion to her body. She must have worked out when she was human.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and hugged me.

"Thank you for everything" she whispered into my ear

"I will let you wash up, I'll be waiting in the room if you need anything."

As I closed the door behind me, I couldn't help but imagine her standing there wearing nothing but her underwear. I had to get the image out of my head; she was my brother's widow.

But I couldn't help it, the thought of her and her piercing red eyes and her body burned in the back of my mind. I sat on the bed and turned the TV back on. It would be hard to concentrate, but what better than stupid human comedy to help put out the fire that was burning in my mind right now?


	10. Chapter 10, The end?

~~~~~~~~~Chapter 10: Beginning~~~~~~~~~~

So here it is, the end of the story. Thank you to everyone who has been reading all this time, and I hope you enjoy it.

Bella's POV:

I stood in the shower, the scalding hot water dripping down my back. I was using the rough terry washcloth to try and scrub all of the blood off of my arm and leg, but I still felt like Candy's blood was on me. I could still smell it, although I knew that it was entirely gone.

I was going against my nature, not feeding off of humans.

All these years, Edward and the Cullens, they fought the very core of what they were to be what? Closer to each other?

I wasn't about to abandon them, but it didn't make any sense. We are vampire.

We were made to feed from humans.

But that's taking human life, whether or not you kill them.

I thought of Candy, her face losing its color as I slowly drained the blood out of her body with my teeth. I remembered a bodyguard pushing me off of her, and calling an ambulance, then calling his boss. How dismayed he was. How he shoved me out of the club.

And then I began to sob. I didn't care that Emmett would hear me, or if the whole hotel heard me for that matter. He was always there for me when I was at my most vulnerable anyways. I threw myself against the wall of the shower, leaving a large dent in the tile and slid down, hugging my knees, feeling the hot water pouring down my cracked porcelain skin.

"I'm a killer, I'm going to hell." I sobbed

I crashed my body against the wall, creating a larger dent in the tile.

"I'm a killer," I was almost screaming at this point.

Suddenly, the bathroom door slowly creaked open. Emmett stood in the middle of the bathroom staring at me. I didn't care.

"Bella, what the hell?" He eyed the dent that I made in the wall.

He slid the door open and sat next to me in the shower, putting his arm around me. I looked at him.

"I'm a killer, I'm going to hell." I couldn't say anything else.

I laid my head on Emmett's chest and he stroked my hair.

"Bella, you didn't kill her, and you are not going to hell. And everything will be all right. I will make sure of it, I will protect you, just like I know Edward would want me to, forever."

It stung when he said Edward's name. I wondered if he saw us, if Rosalie saw us too. What they would think of the whole messed up situation, but bigger than that, I knew that he was right. It felt right being here with him, and I still needed his protection, even as a vampire.

He moved his arm, his wet clothes clinging to his glorious arm muscles. He eased my hands off of my knees and pulled me up. He turned the water off and I just stood there, water cascading down my entire body. He grabbed a towel and handed it to me.

" Get yourself decent. I will be waiting," he said as he walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

I wrapped the soft towel around my body and tied it in a knot just above my breasts. I combed my fingers through my wet hair, wringing it out to make sure that all of the excess water was gone. I slowly opened the door and walked over to the bed. Emmett was lying in bed topless, with his arms behind his head. His eyes were closed, and he almost seemed like he was daydreaming. I pulled the covers back, not taking an eye off of his arms, or his toned chest. I sat down on the bed and pulled the covers over me. Emmett opened his eyes.

"How are you doing?" he asked, still staring at the ceiling.

"I'm ok, I guess. I mean if you would actually look at me when you are talking to me instead of staring at the ceiling like I am some kind of social leper."

He turned his head to look at me, his golden eyes piercing mine. It made me sad that I wasn't as true and just to the Cullens as Emmett was, but was he even given a choice?

"Isabella, you are stunning. I have always hated vampires with red eyes, but the make look amazing and mysterious and sexy all at the same time. I am in love with you."

It took me awhile to think about what I was going to say. I wanted to blurt out that I loved him too, but I didn't want to say anything irrational because my feelings were being so heavily influenced by everything that has happened this evening, would I still love him when we went back to Forks? Yes.

Ever since I met the Cullens, I was strangely drawn to Emmett. I felt closer to him than I did to Alice. I never told anyone, and I pretty much denied it from myself for the last 18 years.

"No, Emmett, you love my vulnerability. You love the fact that I need protection all the time just like Edward did." His name didn't hurt anymore. It was as though I was instantly over everything that happened.

"No, Bella, I am in love with you. Why do you think I have taken such good care of you since I met you, advocated for you when we were going to move away because Edward was scared of killing you? Do you know how many times Rose and I fought because of you? Because she thought it was so wrong to bring you into our family, but to me, being with, it just felt so right, so natural. I didn't care if you were a human, you could have been a werewolf for all I cared and I still would have fought for you. I think that fate brought us here, we have eternity now, to be with the people that are our real soul mates, forever."

He lifted the covers up and hovered above me, his perfect arms holding up his body. I slowly undid the knot in my towel, and slipped it off, throwing it on the floor. He stared at me, his eyes looking at every inch of my body. I wasn't embarrassed, and I wasn't scared like I was my first time with Edward. Things were different.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured.

He leaned his head down to kiss me. And I gladly kissed him back.

Emmett and I held hands as we walked up to the Cullen's house. Carlisle called him the last evening that we were in California and wanted him to talk to the whole family about what we had found. Alice opened the door for us just as we started up the stairs and flung herself at me.

"I missed you guys!" She was squealing.

I looked at Emmett, wondering why Alice wasn't freaking out about seeing us hold hands.

"Come on, everyone is in the living room waiting." She interrupted.

Emmett grabbed my hand, I pulled back hesitant.

"I have a feeling this will all work out" he whispered into my ear and took my hand again.

We walked into the living room. Jasper looked a bit surprised, but no one was freaking out like I thought they would.

"So, what did you find in Los Angeles?" Carlisle asked patiently.

"Well, Jaymes is still clearly controlling the California area. He is still running the feeding dens with his mate, Jessie."

Carlisle nodded.

"Bella met her singer there." Everyone looked at me. At that moment I wished that I could change my eye color so that the red wasn't as bright as it still was. I was embarrassed and I turned my head away so that they couldn't see my eyes.

"Did she kill her?" Carlisle asked Emmett, respecting my wishes.

"No, but she was hospitalized. She worked at the den, and after talking to Jaymes it seems like he was ok with it, but he really doesn't want to see us again."

I turned my head back to the rest of my family.

"Ok, then Los Angeles is out of the question." Carlisle said.

"Doesn't anyone want to know why we are holding hands?" I asked, no longer ignoring the purple elephant in the room. Alice stood up.

"Bella, we are curious as to why this came about, but we aren't going to fight it. I saw your wedding to Emmett. You guys are going to be so happy together. We just want you to be able to find a little bit of happiness, both of you, after what happened to Edward and Rosalie, and if that means with each other then we aren't going to stop you. It may be strange at first, but we are vampires, we are strange creatures by nature."

Emmett squeezed my hand and smiled. This was my fate, and I would let nothing come in the way of my happiness with Emmett, forever.

Carlisle cleared his throat.

"We still must abide by the condition that the Volturi set. Although we were not able to save Edward, the Volturi are still requiring that we turn the human that Nessie told, or else they will kill him. They have requested that you do it Bella, as you were Edward's partner, and you have a close relationship with the human. We will do what Edward did so you don't have to bite him, but inject him with your venom."

"No" I murmured, I knew full well whom the human was that I had to turn.

"Bella, if you don't, the Volturi will kill Charlie, and very possibly our whole family. We have never seen anyone turned that was older than I am, so it will be interesting to see how he turns."

I turned and looked at Emmett who simply shrugged at me.

I shuddered at the prospect of having to turn my father, Charlie Swan, who already knew about most of the crazy things in the world.

Maybe we could just run away to Transylvania or something where the Volturi would never find us?

Oh, who am I kidding the Volturi always find us.

~The End~ (or is it?)


End file.
